Apparatus for heating and feeding blanks



Nov. 17,1925- w.- M. TOWNE APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND FEEDING BLANKS Filed 'ldarch 28 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I; By Attorneys, 5mm bWp 1 Nov. 17 1925- w. M. TOWNE APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND FEEDING BLANKS Filed March 28,1 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 L7 INVENTOR A By Attorne s,

Nov. 17,1925. 1,561,957

W. M. TOWNE APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND FEEDING BLANKS Filed March 28, 92 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 J7 16 Fly:

' L J 15 -K ill lllll E: h -u -n|||-|| i5 1 k INVENTOIRQ T jigj. \j 13 #716 W By Attorneys,

1\ aw W Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER If. TOWNE, OE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO E. IV/BLISS COMPANY.

OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND FEEDING BLANKS.

Application filed March 28, 1924. Serial No. 702,627.

To all whom it may concemi:

. Be it known that I, WALTER M. TOWNE.

a citizen of the United States of America,

' residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of-Kings, city and State of New York.

.have invented certain new and useful Ima punch the metal is to be subjected to any desired operation.

Specifically, the ,present invention is particularly designed for use in the extrusion process of forming cup-shaped bodies such as zinc cups for dry' batteries, according to the method set forth in my application for patent filed August 21, 1922, Serial No. 583,269 patented April 29,- 1924, No. 1,492,230. According to that method, zinc blanks of circular form and suitable thickness are heated to a temperature approxi mating 150 (1, and at that temperature placed in the hollow of a female die and acted upon by a punch nearly filling the' die, whereby the marginal portion of the blank is caused to flow in tubular form around the punch.

For the prescribed or any analogous purpose, it is required that a heating apparatus and feeding apparatus be provided, which shall operate in such relation that the blanks may be heated to a controllable temperature and fed at thattemperature to the die or other mechanism which is their destination. Either the temperature of the heater must be controllable, or the length oftime during which the-blanks are subjected to that temperature must be variableat will. To attain the desired result the present invention provides for receiving the blanks in one or more conduits in which they may travel either continuously or intermittently, and in which they are mainitaind in proximity to a source of heat for a sufficient time. being finally fed out from position-at their ultimate destination in the machine. The final feeding mechanism is of course synchronized with the strokes of the press or other machine which operates on the heated blanks. To permit. of uniform speed of such machine it is preferable that the feeding mechanism shall opthe heating .must be determined by either controlling the temperature of the heater, or by controlling the relation of the heater to the conduit in which the blanks are carried. The preferable control is by varying the temperature of the'heater; and this can be most conveniently accomplished by using an electric heater and any suitable rheostatic controlling means.

00 i erate at a uniform rate of speed, so that In the accompanying drawings the present invention is shown in association with a punching press which performs'the extrusion in case the blank is used for that purpose. 4

Figure 1 shows the press in plan, partly broken away in horizontal section, the plane of which is indicated by the line 1-1 in Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is'a vertical longitudinal section in the planes indicated by theline 22 in Fig. 1,'the heating apparatus being shown mainly in elevation, although its bottom portion is shown section;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of the press, the view looking in the same direction as Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section, being mainly in the plane of the line 4-4 in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the heating ansl feeding drum shown in- Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sect onal detail on a larger scale, showing the punch and die, and the (fieeding guide and blank-holder adjacent the Fig.' 7 is an elevation of the feeding guide and blank-holder partly in section, viewed in the same direction as in Fig.4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the punch repartly in horizontalv midt'racted from the "same, illustrating theac tion of the. knock-out in drawing the extruded tube. or cup from the punch;

Fig. 9 is an electricaldiagram showing the heater elements and controlling means.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view correspond- 11, showing a further feature of construction.

To facilitate comparison with my aforesaid patent, the punch A, die B, and knock out D, with their accessories, are given the same letters of reference.

The press shown is an ordinary type ofpunching press laid horizontally.

E is the frame of thepress, F isits slide carrying the punch A, G is the crank shaft, having a pulley or fly-wheel G, and H is. the bed block carrying the usual die block I in which the die B. is housed. The knockout D within the punch is a pin pressed back by a spring 0, and which on the back stroke of the punch strikes a pin 9 carried by t e usual knock-out slide -h which remains stationary until near the end of the back stroke, when the cup has been fully stripped from the punch, as shown in Fig.

' 8. The slide is then tripped and forced sheet metal.

backward by the means (not shown) usually provided for that purpose, so as to release the knockout and permit its spring 6 to retract it and drop off the completed cup. This tripping is accomplished in the usual way by the action of a cam i carried on the head F against a roller j on an arm the shaft of which carries a detent k, the location of which parts is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and which, being well understood, require no further description.

The press thus shown and described forms no part of the present invention.

The preferred form of the heating apparatus will now be described.

Mounted in any suitable manner upon the press frame is a drum-shaped heater. K within which turns a rotary drum L. The drum L is shown with a series of conduits 10, 10, having a cross-section conforming to the diameter and thickness of the blanks or slugs 11, 11, and each adapted to hold a vertical series or stack of blanks. In the preferred construction the exterior of the drum L has shallow grooves 12 extending vertically, parallel with one another, en-

closed by an outer tubular covering 13 of The heater K isshown as formed with a-tubular supporting drum 14 -covered externally with asbestos or other heat-insulating material 15, and having elec tric heating elements 16 disposed within it. The heating elements 16 may be of any electric resistant material, such as carbon rods or wire coils having any suitable electric insulation and any suitable connections to an electric circuit. In the construction shown, as best seen in Fig. 5, the heating elements 16 are arranged just outside the sheet-metal envelope 13, so that the latter serves as a thin conducting partition having the mechanical function of holding the blanks 11 in their grooves 12, and the function of conducting the heat from the element 16 radially through itself to the blanks. Any suitable means may be provided for varying the temperature of the electric heater. A suitable means isthat shown diagrammatically in Fig. 9, where the heating elements or rods 16 are connected at opposite ends by wires 17 17, to the terminals of an electric circuit through an interposed rheostat 18, by adjusting which the current flow through the heating elements may be varied at will. The upper ends of the conduits 10 formed by the grooves 12 are open, and the blanks 11 may be dropped into them by hand, or

preferably by some automatic feeding mechanism such as are ,well known, and which, forming no part of the present invention, is not illustrated. The bottom ends of the conduits are closed by the stationary bottom plate 19, except at one point where an outfeeding conduit 20 communicates through a slot in this plate with one of the conduits 10 which is aligned therewith in any position of rest of the inner drum L. The conduit 20 leads thence down, as shown in Fig. 4, so that the blanks 11 11152 descend through it by gravity. the lowe 10st blank resting on a supporting plate 21 directly in front of a pusher bar 22. In Fig. 4 the front plate 23 covering and closing the conduit 20 is broken away and partly removed to show the path of the blanks and to ekpose the active end of the pusher 22. This pusher works in a horizontal slot or conduit 24, and is movable endwise. to push the lowermost blank from its initial position shown, sidewise into coincidence with the die.

Against the face of the die is fastened a die plate 25, best shown in Figs. 6 and 7 This die plate has a central opening through which. the punch may enter, and through which the walls of the extruding cup may flow backwardly around the punch. This ters the continuing conduit 26 and is carried to the position shown in Fig. 7, where it is stopped by abutting against a buttress 27 and held firmly in position between twojaws 28, 28, which are pivoted at 29 and have a very limited movement against the stress of springs 30, their ends being slightly bent to partly embrace the blank 11, as shown in Fig. 7. These jaws, by reason of their yielding grip, embrace the blank so encountered by the advancing punch..- The snugly that it cannot get out of place after fed to this position by the pusher, and until punch pushes the blank into the hollow b of the die and performs the extrusion in the manner fully explained in my' aforesaid patent. As the punch recedes, it carries the extruded cu with stripped from it by the knock-out in the well-known manner already explained.

The pusher-22 is constructed as a slide moving in ways 31 and rcciprocatedby a rod 32 to which movement is imparted in any suitable manner synchronously with the operation of the press. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the rod 32 is operated through an elbow lever 33 by means ofarod 34 which is reciprocated by the action of a cam 35 car.

ried on the crank-shaft G, which cam acts on a roller 36, the return movementbeing performed by a spring 37. As the pusher completes its back stroke, the blank which it has been sustaining on its upper edge drops down into position before it, as shown in Fig. 4, ready'for the next forward feeding stroke.

The drum L requires to be turned at intervals to bring successive conduits 10 into alignment with the outlet, so as to deliver the blanks into the conduit or chute 20. Preferably, the drum is turned the distance from one conduit to the next at each feeding movement, so that there is a uniform outfeed, and consequently a uniform descent of 'the stack of blanks in each of the conduits 10 at all times, which insures that the blanks be heated with perfect uniformity, notwithstanding any variations in heat that may occur because of unequal action of the different heating elements 16.

These intermittent rotating movements of the drum L may be performed by any known mechanisms such as are employed for operating turrets in various machinery. A suitable mechanism is shown, being best illustrated in Fig. 1. The drum Lis fixed on the upper end of a shaft 40 which has fixed on it at its bottom, a notched disk-41,

one direction, the return movement being accomplished by a spring 49. After each forward movement imparted by the push pawl 42, the locking pawl 43 engages a notch and holds the disk and drum L stationary until just before the pawl 42 engages the next notch, at which time a cam face on the end of the lever 44 acts on a pin 51 onthe As it is sometimes desirable to be able to it, and the latter is pawl 43 to withdraw the pawl and release the wheel 41 ready for the next feeding stroke.

rotatethe drum L" independently of the automatic feeding mechanism just described, a treadle is provided, connected bya chain 61 passing over a pulley 62-, which chain connects to the end of the lever 44,

so that on pressing down the treadle the lever 44 is pulled back against the stress of the spring 49, and when released, this spring restores it and thereby feeds forward the drum from one conduit 10 to the next.

In order that the blanks in the lower part of the heater may be examined, it is desirable to provide one or more peep-holes, one of which is shown at 64 in Fig. 4.

Itis of course necessary to heat the blanks in the heater to a somewhat'higher temperature than that at which they are to be acted upon by the dies, as inevitably some heat is lost in passing through the conduits 20, 24. The precise loss under any circumstances may be easily determined by experiment. and the temperature of the heater'adjusted accordingly.

In the foregoing description, 11nd forclearness of illustration, there-has been omitted an accessory of the machine which is desirable in practice, although not indispens able. At the end of a days run the stopping of the machine leaves the chute 20 filled witli blanks which on starting up the next morning would be cold and must be either removed or especially heated before the regular operation of the machine can be commenced. The simplest way is to provide means for discharging the cold blanks from the chute 20 before starting the'normal operation of,- the machine. Auxiliary means for accomplishing this are shown in Figs. 10 and 11. At the bottom of the chute 20 is a trap door 70 which is normally closed, but which by throwing up a handle 71'connected to it by a link 72, may be thrown down as shown in Fig. 11, so that upon the back stroke of the slide22 the blanks may fall out beneath. If, however, no other means were provided, not only would the blanks in the chute 20 run out, but also those in the communicating conduit 10 above, thus leaving this conduit empty, which would derange the operation of the machine; accordingly, it is desirable to provide some means where.- by the blanks in the chute 20 shall be dropped out one by one, the machine being started and functioningin the ordinary manner, except that the blanks, instead of being fed to the dies, fall out idly beneath.

A suitable step-by-step or escapement type feed is shown in Figs. 10 and" 11, and comprises an escapement lever or detent 73 connected by a link 74 to the feed slide 22. The lever 73 isoscillated by the reciprocation of the slide, andhas a notch which, in the po engages the next blank above, while the bottom blank falls out beneath. Thus, if for example there be ten 'cold blanks in the chute, these will be fed out one by one and their place taken by ten heated blanks delivered from the successive channels 10, 10, o the heater drum L. The step-by-step feed l.ver 73 continues to function during the norn'ial operation of the machine, but without effect. since the blanks fall on the closed door (Fig. 10) and are then pushed forward by the slide 22 to the die.

The heater K may be kept heated during the periods of rest of the machine, 'so that at any time the operation of the machine may be resumed by only feeding out first the. cold blanks as already described. .But for a stoppage overnight or for a prolonged period, it is desirable to economize electric energy, and for this the current may be turned otl and the heater be permitted to cool. For this it is desirable to empty the heater of blanks and to re-feed these blanks to it after it is heated up preliminary to re-starting the machine. This might of course be done by running the machine until the last of the heated blanks had beenpsed, but often this is impracticable and it is desirable to provide some way whereby all the blanks remaining in the heater may be discharged at will. The means for this purpose is shown in Fig. 12. A lateral discharge chute 75 is provided which is normally closed by a swinging gate 76 when the latter is in the position shown in dotted lines in this figure, or in full lines in Fig. 11.

hen it is desired to empty the heater, this door is swung back to the position shown in full lines in Fig 12 by the operation of a connected handle 77 having stop means 7 8 for holding the door in either osition. Thus the door 76, which normally 0 oses the chute 75, is turned to open this chute, so that the blanks may freely run out through it. To avoid the possibility that any of these blanks may fail to fall through the chute 75, by being carried by their momentum instead down the chute 20, a slide SO-may be provided having fastening means 81 by which it may be set down out of the way for normal operation, or up in the position shown to divertthe blanks and insure their.

falling .through the chute 7 5.-

It will be understood that the specific embodiment shown and describedisonly one example, the construction being variable at will according to the requirements of any local situation. Other constructions of heater and other means for controlling its temperature, are within the invention. Noris the invention limited to the precise construction or arrangement of conduits for holding the blanks and causing them to travel while being heated. Other specific .means for feeding the heated blanks from the heater to the dies may be substituted, it being understood that any of the known mechanisms suited for performing the requisite functions may be employed. Accordingly, my im'ention is subject to such reasonable variations as may be within the skill of mechanics, and appended claims.

VVhat- I claim is: 1. 'An apparatus for heating and feeding within the scope of the blanks, comprising a series of conduits each duits, and means for moving the conduits and for feeding the blanks from the respective conduits, with adjusting means for controlling the rate of heating and rate of travel of the blanks, relatively to one another, to determine the temperature of the outfed blanks.

3. An apparatus for heating and feeding blanks, comprising a plurality of conduits eacharranged to permit the blanks to feed through it by gravity, a heating means adjacent said conduits, and a feeding means for feeding the blanks from the respective conduits, with adjusting means for controlling the rate of heating and rate of travel of the blanks, relatively to one another, to determine the temperature of the outfed blanks.

4. An apparatus for heating and feeding blanks, comprising a conduit receiving the blanks, a heating means adjacent said conduit, the conduit and heating means relatively movable with means for performing such movement, and a sheet of thin metal between the blanks and heating means through which the heat is transmitted to the blanks, means for feeding the blanks from the conduit, and means for controlling the heating.

5.'An apparatus for. heating and feeding said conduits, a feeding means for feedingthe blanks from the conduits, and means for controlling the heating.

6. An apparatus for heating and feeding blanks, comprising an inner and outer drum, the one stationary and the other rotative, the rotative drum formed with a, cylindrical series of parallel conduits receiving the blanks, the stationary drum forming a cylindrical heater adjacent said conduits, means for intermittently rotating the movable drum and for feeding the blanks successively therefrom, and means for controlling the heating.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, the means for intermittently rotating the movable drumcompris'ing a notched wheel, a

' the one feeding pawl, means for automatically reciprocating said pawl, a locking pawl, and means for releasing the locking pawl before 'each feeding movement.

8. An apparatus for heating and feeding blanks, comprising inner and outer drums, stationary and the other rotative, one drum formed with parallel groo es, the other druni forming a heater, and an intervening jacket of thin material closing said grooves to form conduits for receiving and feeding the blanks.

9. An apparatus for heating and feeding blanks, comprising innerand outer drums, the one stationary and the other rotative, the rotative drum formed with parallel conduits each receiving a stack of blanks, an outlet chute communicating with one such conduit, and means for intermittently rotating the movable drum to bring said conduits successively into alignment with said chute.

10. An apparatus for heating and feeding blanks, comprising an inner and outer drum, the one stationary and the other rotative, the rotative drum formed with parallel conduits receiving the blanks, the stationary drum forming a heater, means for intermittently rotating the movable drum, an outlet chute receiving successive blanks discharged therefrom, a lateral conduit, and a reciprocating pusher adapted to move successive blanks along said lateral conduit to their final fed position.

11. In an aparatus for heating and feeding blanks, feeding, a punc means, a die, and a die plate 1n position coinciding with said die adapted for receiving successive blanks from comprising, heating means and I the feeding means and for holding them in central alignment with the dies 12. The combination of claim 11, the die plate having gripping means for yieldingly grasping the fed blanks.

13. The combination of claim 11, the die plate having spring-pressed jaws on opposite sides, between which the fed blank is gripped.

14. An apparatus for heating and feeding blanks, comprising a conduit receiving the blanks, a heating means adjacent said conduit, and a feeding means for feeding the blanks from the conduit, combined with means operative at will for discharging cold blanks from the conduit preparatory to normal operation.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, the means for discharging cold blanks being adapted for intermittent operation.

16. An apparatus according to claim 14, the means for discharging cold blanks, comprising a controllable outlet and a step-bystep feed for regulating the discharge of blanks to said outlet.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, combined with means operative at will for intermittently discharging cold blanks preparatory to normal operation.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, combined with means operative at will for intermittently discharging cold blanks preparatory to normal operation, comprising a control- 20. An apparatus according to claim 19, the means for freely dischar ng the supply of blanks in the heating con uit, comprislng a discharge conduit adjacent the normal feeding conduit, a movable gate normally closing said discharge conduit, and means for holding said gate normally in closed position.

' In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my'name.

WALTER M. TOWNE.

means adjacent said con 

